Monday, May 3, 2010

The New Pornographers - Together

How did The New Pornographers manage to surprise me after I thought I had them all figured out? Challengers, although it had it's share of sweeping finesse, felt like a tired effort in trying to create a new "adult" sound that ultimately resulted in stamping out all the chaotic joy that made me like this group in the first place. The lack of innovation on A.C. Newman's solo album Get Guilty then led me to believe that he had no more songwriting tricks up his sleeve and any new material would just be a further exercise within the same used template. It would be an exaggeration to call Together a radical departure but the album exemplifies that the band's previous indulgences in orchestral recording were not just for show but rather a step in creating a new identity.

Once known for perfectly blending syrupy, dense distortion along masterfully written power-pop, the thrills on Together come from the attention that is given in a creating distinct momentum for every track. Feedback hiss is traded for elaborate vocal harmonies and this is without a doubt, the most treblely Porno's album to date. Thanks to the return of Kurt Dahle's more aggressive and versatile drumming, slower numbers no longer plod but keep the listener engaged with the countless shifts in melody and moon. Dan Bejar's eccentricities are once again exploited to their full potential; like on "Daughters of Sorrows", which might awake memories of a more lush version of Destroyer's Rubies. Any hints of staleness are completely erased once the album reaches it's majestic closer "We End Up Together" which summons all the gumption and talent of each member to create a audacious statement on how tireless resourcefulness can somehow still produce bright material despite increasing public indifference.